Does ground beef or ground turkey have more protein?
Ground turkey, at 27g per 100g versus 26g for ground beef.
Ground beef vs Ground turkey: Which Has More Protein?
Ground turkey wins on protein: 27g per 100g versus 26g, a gap of 1g. Calories and protein quality change the picture, so here is the full comparison.
Head to head, per 100g
| Food | Protein | Calories |
|---|---|---|
| 🦃 Ground turkey (lean, cooked) | 27g | 163 |
| 🍔 Ground beef (lean, 95%) | 26g | 184 |
Per 100g.
What the numbers mean
Ground beef delivers 26g of protein for 184 calories per 100g. Ground turkey delivers 27g for 163 calories. If you are counting calories as well as protein, ground turkey is the leaner choice per 100g.
Protein quality: ground beef is a complete protein, ground turkey is a complete protein. Complete proteins carry all nine essential amino acids in useful amounts; incomplete ones are still valuable, they just want a complementary source across the day.
Burger-ready lean beef. Lean alternative to ground beef.
Which should you choose?
- For maximum protein per 100g: ground turkey (27g).
- For the fewest calories per 100g: ground turkey.
- For everyday practicality, the better choice is the one you will actually eat regularly — the difference between 26g and 27g matters far less than consistency across the week.
- Mixing both across the week covers a wider spread of micronutrients than committing to one.
Add up your whole meal
Type what you ate in plain words and Protein Hunter returns protein and calories for the full plate.
Try the Protein CalculatorCommon questions
Which has fewer calories, ground beef or ground turkey?
Ground turkey — 163 calories per 100g versus 184.
Can I swap one for the other in a recipe?
Usually yes, but adjust the weight so the protein matches. To replace 100g of ground turkey you need about 104g of ground beef.
Keep reading
Protein in ground beef26g per 100g in full detail.Protein in ground turkey27g per 100g in full detail.Compare any two foodsSearch the full protein database.What is Protein Hunter?
Protein Hunter is a protein and nutrition app with a database of 232 foods — from a leaf of kale to a wagyu steak — plus AI tools that answer protein questions, count a whole meal, build recipes to a macro target, and track what you actually eat.
- Search any food
- Count a full meal
- Recipes to your macros
- Scan a plate or label
Why it's different: the numbers are calculated from a fixed ingredient database rather than guessed, and when a target is not physically achievable the app says so instead of inventing a figure.
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